Baby Emma & Crew Family Update : ) 11.9.09

Thanks to baby Emma's Mom, Sophie for providing us with one last update on how baby Emma's doing since she's been home. It is so nice to think that the Crew family is getting back to normal life & that we all won't have to be rushing to our computers for updates on how baby Emma is doing every second of the day. Praise God for everything he has done for this family : )

I'll continue to post mini updates every now and then if I get word of something exciting like a first crawl, word, etc. & will also be sure to post about any upcoming fundraising events for "The Emma Crew Fund". Stay tuned for ways you can continue to help the Crew family & please continue to keep baby Emma in your prayers....that she continues to march proudly & safely down the road to full recovery. The road ahead is sure to be a long & windy one, but what a beautiful one it will be!

Home Sweet Home...
It has been a little over a week that our sweet Emma has come home. Discharge papers signed, Tyler and I couldn't get out of the hospital fast enough - the moment we pushed through those hospital doors and out to the parking lot, I felt a ray of sunshine pour over me and gave me a sense of warm, giddy happiness... We were finally bringing our baby home!
The drive from the hospital reminded me of the day we brought her home when she was born, just over a year ago..."Honey, easy on the brakes... Honey, watch that turn... Honey, is she comfortable? Honey I should sit in the back seat with her".
Her first moments at home were spent quietly assessing her surroundings... we greeted 'Pumba', Miller Dog, Socksie Kitty, her abundance of Elmo toys in the family room, the rocking chair where I would rock her at night, the grass in the back yard where she would play. She didn't say much, but it was all coming back to her little by little. Gramps was there to greet her too, and Uncle Gav couldn't miss his niece's homecoming either. She took it all in quietly and calmly.
Her first night was a bit difficult - sleeping on and off in 2-3 hour increments. Ty and I took turns comforting her through the night. Although she had a rough night, I think she was comforted by being in her own bed again, with all of her familiar smells, sounds, and familiarity. Emmy still needs her melatonin every night as she still wakes, and her naps are pretty irregular. I am hoping that this disturbance in melatonin production will eventually regulate itself.
The past week has been tremendous in Emma's rehabilitation. Being home has been doing wonders for her. She remembers her home, her toys, her sister... she wants more than anything to be able to play like she used to, and she tries, but gets frustrated because she realizes she can't get there by herself anymore. She can't pull herself up, roll over, sit up, crawl, or do anyting on her own. However, if we prop her in a standing position and hold her hands, she will take steps, so that is huge! She can stay in a standing position as long as we hold her hand! We have to be by her side at all times though, holding her, assisting, watching her and guiding her right arm movement. She is easily frustrated with her inability to be indipendant, but I remind myself of how lucky we are that she even has the desire and drive to play and move around... we are so blessed to have her.
There are two picture frames on our entry way console table. Both have been empty since my good friend Leanne, brought the pictures they housed to me in the hospital, to put up in Emma's room. I put the pictures back in their frames today... 'EmmaBabyLegs.jpg' and 'CrewFamily.jpg' are back where they should be. CrewFamily.jpg is back where it should be... home.

Love,
Sophie and Tyler